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Blow Gabriel
Tradtional Old-Time, Spiritual;
ARTIST: from Rev. Gary Davis
CATEGORY: Traditional and Public Domain Bluegrass Gospel;
DATE: 1800s;
RELATED TO: Blow Garbriel Blow
RECORDING INFO: Blow Gabriel
Georgia Sea Island Singers. Sounds of the South, Atlantic 7-82496-2, CD( (1993), trk# 3.11 [1959/07ca]
Palmer, Nathan (Rev). Art of Field Recording, Vol. 1, Dust to Digital DTD 08, CD( (2007), trk# 2.22 [1982/01/01]
OTHER NAMES: “Blow Gabriel Blow” "Blow Gable Blow"
SOURCES: Folk Index; Mudcat
NOTES: “Blow Gabriel” is from Rev. Gary Davis. It's a form of the "shout spiritual" that's been collected on the Georgia Sea Islands.
"Shout Because You're Free: the African-American Ring Shout Tradition" Page 112 by Art Rosenbaum:
Calm and easy / Tell everybody /
My God say / That they got to meet /
Oh blow, Gabriel / Blow that trumpet /
Louder and louder / Got to wake my people ...
An early related version titled, "Listen to the Angels Shouting," comes from the Jubliee Singers in cicra 1880:
Where do you think I found my soul/Listen to the angels shouting,
I found my soul at hell’s dark door/Listen to the angels shouting,
Before I lay in hell one day/listen to the angels shouting,
I sing and pray my soul away/Listen to the angels shouting.
Run all the way, run all the way/ run all the way my Lord,
Listen to the angels shouting
Blow, Gabriel, blow,
Blow, Gabriel, Blow,
Tell all the joyful news
Listen to the angels shouting.
"Blow Gabriel Blow," by Cole Porter is an original song loosely based on this spiritual:
Blow, Gabriel, blow,
Come on and blow, Gabriel, blow.
I've been a sinner, I've been a scamp,
But now I'm willin' to trim my lamp,
So blow, Gabriel, blow.
In 1889 Frank Horn wrote a lyrically related minstrel/spiritual version in heavy dialect:
Blow Gabr'el blow yo' trumpet, wid all yo' might,
Fo' my long white robe am ready fo' de mawnin',
But I'll put it on tonight...
BLOW GABRIEL- Rev. Gary Davis
Blow Gabriel!
Blow Gabriel!
Blow Gabriel!
Blow Gabriel!
Gonna walk and talk tell it at the judgement
Gonna walk and talk tell it at the judgement God
What you gonna do at the judgement?
What you gonna do at the judgement?
No need to run at the judgement
No need to run at the judgement God.
The sun'll start running at the judgement
The sun'll start running at the judgement
No use to run at the judgement
No use to run at the judgement
Blow Gabriel!
Blow Gabriel!
Blow Gabriel!
Blow Gabriel!
Blow Gabriel! At the judgement of God!
Blow Gabriel!
Blow Gabriel!
Oh, the Big Book is open at the judgement
The Big Book is open at the...
Said the moon is bleeding,
Moon is bleeding,
Rocks is melting,
Trees are bowing,
Seas are boiling,
Graves are busting,
What you gonna do?
What you gonna do?
What you gonna do?
Oh sinner...
Gonna walk and talk tell it.
Gonna meet my father
Gonna meet my father
Oh Lord
Oh my Lord,
Oh my Lord,
It's gonna be a time.
Gonna meet my brother
Gonna meet my brother
Gonna meet my father
Gonna meet my father
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